Packing



March 15 1927.

F. T. AGTHE PACKING filed June 14. 1926 Patented Mar. 15, 1927; I

,. UNI-TED,STATES;

PATENT OFFICE.

rnnnnnrcx' .AGTHE, or CATASAU'QUA, PENNSYLVANIA, AssIGNon 'ro ALLIS-CEAL- HERB Ii OF DELAWARE,

This invention relates in general to improvements in packings, andrelates more 4 specifically to improvements in the construction andoperation of packings for seallng 5 thejoint between relatively rotating arts such as a rotary drum and an adjo ning stationary member.

An ob ect 'ofthe' invention-is to provide a new and useful packing which is simple in 1' construction and effic ent in'operation.

. When operating rotary kilns, dryers or furnaces, it isfrequently desirable to intro duce re lable quantities of air' to the interior 0 the rotating drum, therebymaking it necessary to provide air-tight seals at the ends of'the drum so that air may be admitted only through suitable control apparatus. --Th1s is'especiallythe case in the metallurgy of iron wherein a. series of rotary drum fur- I naces are used to successively treat the ore,

and wherein fresh air is admitted'through I one end only of one or more of the drums.

It is an object ofthe present invention to provide 'an improved packing for mamtainin air-tight joints at one or both ends of suc a rotary heating 2 device. In ac- -.cordance with the im rovement, a hydrau- I lic'packing is provi ed which' w1ll eflectively seal these joints. The water is circulated throu h a sealing chamber under pressure, an is preferabl discharged when it becomes unduly heate The heated water discharged from the acking or packingsmay be utilized in a eedwater heater or other heat utilizing device, and the fluid pressure may be employed in. con unction with springs, in order to insure tight oints. These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will appear from. the 40 following description. I

, A-clear conceptionof several embodiments of the invention and 'of the operation of devices constructed in accordance therewith, may he had by referring to the drawing specification in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts in the various views.

Fig. 1 is a art sectional side elevation of ranged in series. a

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary section through the end of a rotary drum furv PACKING.

accompanying-and forming a part of this.

a group of t ree rotary drum furnaces ar- FACTUBING COMPANY, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN,-A CORPORATION Application file d June 14, 192e, Serial m5. i1e,o25.

connected respectively to the discharge and delivery ends of the drums 4, 2 by means of breechings or housings 6, 7. The drums 2, 3,, 4 are continuously rotatable to transport material therethrough, by means of gearing 9. The lower end of the lowerdrum 4 is provided with a housing 8 for delivering treated material from the furnaces and for admitting regulable quantities of airto the drums. The. upper end of the up er'drum 2 is provided with a housing 5 y or admitting untreated material to the furnaces and for delivering gases to the stack.- A. rotary acking constructed in accordance I with t e present invention, is preferably located between each end of each drum 2, 3, 4 and the adjacent housings 5, 6,

7, 8, in order to prevent ingress of air to the drums at the joints.

- In accordance with the present invention, the end of each. of the drums 2, 3, 4 is provided with outwardly projecting annular flanges- 11, 12 forming annular surfaces rotatable with the drum and extending perpendic ular to the axis thereof. .An annular stationary member 10 which is formed in sections securedto the breeching 7, has flexible or resilient plate portions 13, 14 engaging the annular surfaces of the flanges 11, 12 respectively. The member 10 cooperates "with the drum to provide an annular chamber 15 completely surrounding the drum 3. Fluid under pressure, preferably water, may be admitted to the chamber 15 through a lower inlet pipe 17 and as this fluid becomes heated within the chamber 15, it rises and may be discharged through an u per outlet pipe 16. The extreme end of t e drum 3 may furthermore be provided with an annular flange 18 cooperating with a stationary bafile plate 19 to prevent excessive heat from ber 10, thereby tending to constantly urge the flexible plate portion 14 in contact Withthe surface of the flange 12, and assisting the fluid pressure within the chamber 15 to revent fluid from escaping from this chamer. In this embodiment of the invention,

the fluid pressure within the chamber 15 isdepended upon to urge the plate portion 13 against the "annular surface of the flange 11 to a suflicient extent, to prevent excessive escape of fluid from thechamber 15 on that side of the packing. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Fig, 4, the flexible plate portion 13 has rods 25 extending laterallytherefrom through stufiing boxes 36 associated with the plate portion 14. The rods 25 have adjust able plates 27' associated therewith, these plates being adjustable by means of nuts 37 coacting with screw'threads on the rods 25. The plate portion 14 has rods 26 pro ecting laterally therefrom on opposite sides of therods 25, the outer extremities of the rods 26 bein associated with plates 28 which are slida ly associated with the rods 25. Helical compression springs 29 coactwith the plates 27, 28 and tend to constantly urge the flexible plate portions 13, 14 against the surfaces of the flanges 11, 12in an obvious manner. The tension of the springs 29 may be readily varied by ad'ustment of the nuts 37.

In the em odiment of the invention illus-' trated in Fig. 5, the flexible plate portions 13, 14 areinterconnected Within the chamber 15 by means of toggles 31, the connecting pins of the tog le links being secured to outwardly extending rods 30 which penetrate I stuffing boxes 32 in the sections of the memher 10. The outer extremity of each rod 30 has a plate 33 associated therewith and adjustable therealong bymeans of a nut 35 coacting with a screw thread at the end of the rod 30. Helical compression springs 34 coact with the plates 33 and with the adjacent stufling boxes 32, the nuts 35 serving as means of adjustment of the tensionof these springs.

During normal operation of the furnaces, the drums 2, 3, 4 are constantly rotated by means of the gearing 9 to transport material longitudinally therethrough. Fluid under pressure is admitted to the chambers 15 through the pipes 17 and is delivered therefrom through the pipes 16. The fluid pressure thus established in the chambers 15 urges the flexible plate portions 13, 14 against the annular surfaces of the flanges 11, 12 thus tending to prevent escape of fluid from the chambers 15 along these annular surfaces. Any fluid which escapes past these surfaces flows into the drip catches 21, 22 from which it is immediately discharged through the pipes 23 to the water seal 38; The seal 38 effectively prevents air from entering the furnaces through the pipes 23,

In the embodiment of the invention illus-- trated in Figs. 2 and 3, the outer plate portion 14 -is additionally urged against the annular surface of the flange 12 by means of the springs 20. In the embodiments disclosed in Figs. 4 and 5,'both plate portions 13. 14 are additionally urged against the adjacent surfaces of the flanges 11, 12 by means of the springs 29, 34. In each embodiment, the tension of these springs is adjustable from the exterior of the furnaces and may be readily adjusted by the manipulation of the adjusting nuts.

' Itwill be apparent that the present invention provides means for effectively preventing ingress of air to the furnaces at places other than the air admission control means. The. improved packings may be readily applied to rotary furnaces of various kinds and the heat absorbed by the-fluid passing through the packing chambers 15 may be utilized in any desired manner. The baflie plates 19 prevent the excessive heat from interfering with effective operation of the packings, and the tightness of these pack-v ings may be readilv justin Y means provided herein.

It's 1011ldb8 understood that itis not desired to limit the invention to the exact details of construction herein shown and described, for various modifications within the controlled by the ad- 4 1. In combination, a drum rotatable about I an axis to transport material therethrough, means forming an annular surface rotatable withsaid drum and extending transversely of said axis, a member cooperating with said surface to provide an annular chamber surrounding said axis, and means for admitting liquid to said chamber to provide an air-tight joint between said drum and said member.

2. In combination, a drum rotatable about an axis to transport material therethrough, means forming an annular surface rotatable with said drum and extending transversely of said axis, a member cooperating with said surface to provide an annular chamber surrounding said axis, resilient means for urgsaid member.

ing said surface and said member in engagement with each other, and means for admitting liquid to said chamber.

3. In combination, a drum rotatable about an axis to transport material therethrough, means forming a pair of spaced annular surfaces rotatable with saiddrum and ex tending transversely of said axis, a member cooperating with said surfaces to provide an annular chamber surrounding said axis, and means for circulating liquid through said chamber to provide an air-tight joint between said drum and said member.

4. In combination, a drumrotatable about an axis totransport material therethrough, means forming a pair of spacedannular surfaces rotatable with said drum and extending transversely of said axis, .a member cooperating with said surfaces to provide an annular chamber surrounding said axis, resilient means for urging said surfaces and said member in engagement with each other, and means for circulating liquid through said chamber.

5. In coinbinatiom'a drum rotatable about an axis to transport material therethrough, means forming a. pair of parallel annular surfaces rotatable with saiddrum and extending perpendicular to said axis, a stationary member cooperating with said surfaces to provide an annular chamber surroundingsaid drum, and means for admitting liquid to said chamber ,to provide an air-tight joint between said drum and 6. In combination, a drum-rotatable about rotatable with and extending transversely of said axis, a stationary member having resilient portions coactable with said surfaces, said member cooperating with said drum to provide an annular chamber, and means for establishing fluid pressure within said chamber. I

8. In combination, a drum rotatable about an axis to transport material therethrough, means forming a pair of annular surfaces rotatable with and extending perpendicularto said axis, a stationary member having resilient portions cooperating with said sur--, 'faces to provide anannular chamber surrounding said axis, spring means for urging said surfaces and said member portions into engagement with each other, and means for establishing fluid pressure within said chamber.

In testimony whereof, the signature of the inventor is affixed hereto.

FREDERICK T. AGTHE. 

